The No. 1 Seed UConn Huskies embarrassed the No. 1 Seed Purdue Boilermakers in the Men’s NCAA basketball finals on Apr. 8 to win March Madness 2024 with a score of 75-60. UConn continued its dominance over college basketball with back-to-back championships.

The second-place Boilermakers had previously ended the Cinderella run of No. 11 seed North Carolina State (NC State) Wolfpack with a score of 63-50 in the Final Four on Apr. 6.

The tournament was full of exciting basketball and surprising upsets. 

The Wolfpack took down No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils (76-64) in an eventful ending during the Sweet 16 round, sending NC State to the Final Four for the first time in 41 years. Duke’s Freshman Guard Jared McCain dropped 32 points in that game.

Purdue’s seven-foot-four starting center Zach Edey had an amazing run throughout the tournament. Edey scored 37 points in the finals, making up 62% of the Boilermakers’ total. He also had a career-high night during the Final 4, scoring 40 points in the Boilermakers’ victory over No. 2 seed Tennesse Volunteers (72-66). 

The Boilermakers reached the Final Four for the first time in 44 years.

Heschel seniors were sad to see their future colleges eliminated before the finals. Senior Sylvia Zeltzer, who will be attending Northwestern University, said, “It was disappointing to see the Wildcats lose in the Elite 8, but it will be exciting to see them win live in the future.”

More and more students from all grades began to skip class to watch games as the tournament progressed. One student, who did not want to be named, said, “Teachers should’ve let us watch a few games together in class. That’s what some do during the World Cup.”